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What About Socialization? 10 Answers from 2 Veteran Homeschoolers {Episode 207}
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If you homeschool, you've been asked the question, "What About Socialiaztion?" Bonnie & Audrey, two moms with over 30 years of homeschooling experience share 10 good answers to the socialization question. And if you don't homeschool, but you have wondered, please listen to this episode too!
Mentioned in this episode:
Research article about homeschool socialization proficiency
About Outnumbered the Podcast:
Two moms. 19 kids between their 2 families. Finding Joy in the Chaos.
Join Audrey and Bonnie as they share real parenting tips for real people through humor, advice and compassion.
Whether it's tackling how to teach kids to work or discussing where to turn when you're all out of patience,
these two experienced moms are here to offer authentic tips for raising children joyfully.
Because motherhood doesn't come with a manual!
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Transcript
Introduction & Purpose
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey everybody, welcome to episode 207. If you have ever been asked the question, if you homeschool, you have been asked the question, what about socialization? So today we have prepared 10 of our favorite, most helpful answers that we use when we're asked this question. We're going to share them all with you. So let's get started.
00:00:25
Speaker
Hello and welcome to Outnumbered the Podcast. I'm Audrey. And I'm Bonnie. We are experienced moms to a combined total of 19 children. In our weekly episodes, we explore relatable topics using our perspectives of humor and chaos. Tune in for advice and encouragement to gain more joy in your parenting journey.
Social Skills Concern in Homeschooling
00:00:50
Speaker
All right, everybody, welcome back. And we are going to talk about something that every homeschool parent has been asked at least once, if not 100. At least 100 times. What about socialization? When you tell people that your homeschool, that is like kind of the reflexive question. What about social socialization?
00:01:13
Speaker
And so we've got some things we're going to share today. That's right. I want to say, what about socialization? Like the big mic drop, right? Which is a little bit humorous. This is the humor segment for you guys for today. It's a little bit humorous that when we say we're going to pull our kids out of the public school system or just not send them at all and teach them at home that the very first concern is, but what about their social skills?
00:01:37
Speaker
Like nobody's ever worried about math or language arts or whether they'll get into college. Just will they be able to carry on a conversation with a peer? Because that is going to be the most important thing in life. It's just kind of funny. So we're going to share some of the answers that we have shared in the past and then just a couple other things to think about. If this is something you might be concerned about as you consider homeschooling or if you are a homeschooler or if you know someone who does and you don't want to ask them this question but you are secretly wondering.
00:02:07
Speaker
Yeah. So we have 10 answers that we are going to share with you today that we've used that have helped. And it really, you know, which of these answers to use is really kind of depending on the person asking. So if it's a random grocery store person, like don't waste too much time on that because they, they don't really care. But if it's like your, your mother or your mother-in-law or your sister-in-law and they really like have a concern, then maybe somebody, you know, use one of these other answers. So we've got 10 different options for you today.
00:02:35
Speaker
And it just kind of depends on the situation when to use what.
Socialization in Public vs. Homeschool
00:02:40
Speaker
All right, let's dive right in. Answer number one. Ask them, how do you feel about the socialization your child is receiving or has received in public school? Yeah, kind of an interesting question, huh? Right? Because the assumption is that the best socialization happens in a public school setting.
00:02:59
Speaker
Right, right. But the fact of the matter is, it's just kind of the default that we've, a lot of us have fallen into is just sending our kids to school. And so it's important to realize that
00:03:10
Speaker
There is a possibility of becoming well socialized in public school and as a homeschooler and becoming poorly socialized in both scenarios. We're going to talk about so many different aspects today, but often when you ask this question, it will evoke stories of, oh, actually I was kind of bullied, or actually I was a jerk to people, or
00:03:30
Speaker
very often negative stories come out if you ask this question. I personally have some very fond memories of my public school education in the social atmosphere, but I also have some awful ones. So just kind of like every aspect of life, there's some great stuff and there's some negative stuff. The important thing to remember here is that
00:03:48
Speaker
As a parent, you're a lot more aware of what's going on in the socialization realm when your kids are at home. At school, it's just kind of like a crapshoot. Well, good luck out there. Come back and let me know if something bad happened. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I almost always, when I have used this one, I felt like it's appropriate to use this answer. It has almost always evoked a horror story about, oh my goodness, my kid went through this or I went through that. And I agree. Most of my socialization stories from my public school experience are
00:04:19
Speaker
Like, especially the ones that were unstructured or unsupervised, like the school bus or the lunchroom, right? The ones where the kids are just kind of, like, go to socialize, right? At their own... Yeah. So anyway, it just makes... I think what this answer does is it makes people think about the kind of socialization that they're asking if your kid is missing out on. They're assuming your kid is missing out on this. And so the answer here is just to say, well, is that a good thing?
00:04:48
Speaker
Right, right. And as you guys have probably noticed, we're just fans of intentional choices, right? So if you choose to send your child to school, choose it because that's the intentional choice that you realize is the best for your child, not just because it's what your parents have done and your neighbors are doing and your friends are doing. And if you choose to homeschool, make it an intentional choice, right? That's all we're saying is just pay attention to why we're making the decisions we're making.
00:05:13
Speaker
Okay, on to answer number two, to the socialization dilemma.
Age Diversity in Homeschool Socialization
00:05:17
Speaker
I like to explain that homeschool children are actually stereotypically quite well socialized across a broad range of ages because they have more exposure to this. So a kid in public school generally is only socialized with the kids of his age, whereas the homeschoolers have lots of siblings sometimes, sometimes they have a co-op that they belong to or they go to the library or the park or wherever, but there's none of this just keeping them only with kids of their age.
00:05:42
Speaker
Right. It's the only time in life until what? A nursing home? That people are segregated by age. I don't know. Even in the rest of life. Even in a nursing home, you've got like 30 year age gap sometimes, you know? Yeah. So in all the rest of real life, we have to interact with all ages. So this answer helps us let people know that we are intentionally
00:06:05
Speaker
socializing our kids with people of all ages. And so, yeah, I remember, I remember one time meeting a friend of one of my siblings who was like a grade above or below me. And I thought, you know, that is really a neat person, but I can't be their friend because like we're not the same age. Like that kind of, maybe it was just me being peculiar or something, but that is kind of a public school
00:06:29
Speaker
a thing where because you're with kids all your own age like I've seen it in my neighbor kids too you know they're the first thing maybe it's just a kid thing the first thing is like how old are you and how old are you and like then they kind of pair off by their same age kids
00:06:45
Speaker
Yes, for sure. That's totally true. What's also interesting is, I know we've talked about this Audrey before, is how everyone talks about what grade they're in all the time. And even at the doctor's office, you go to fill out paperwork and they're like, what grade is the kid in?
00:07:01
Speaker
even know. They're seven. But the fact of the matter is that is just their identity as a child in a society that largely sends a child to an institutional school to be educated. And so it's just kind of natural that we would kind of fall into that socialization
00:07:19
Speaker
mentality. But we have gotten some really amazing comments about our kids. A couple of examples are how well they relate to kids of all ages. So my older teens are really sweet with younger kids and a lot of people will say, I don't see that. I don't see a 17 year old playing with a small child very often and your kids do that. How patient they are with the younger ones and how well they communicate with adults. That's always really fun to hear.
00:07:44
Speaker
Yes, yes, definitely. We get those comments too. Recently we came home from a religious gathering and someone communicated with me afterwards and they're like, it is so neat that your 14-year-old daughter was playing, making friends with, socializing with kids of older and younger than her. And I was like, oh, that's right. Not everybody does that.
00:08:07
Speaker
All right, answer number three. This would be appropriate for somebody who is really, really concerned about it. They have actual interest to know what kind of socialization your child is receiving. So share the actual opportunities your kids have for socialization. In fact, we find as homeschoolers that we have so many opportunities to socialize that we have to pick and choose, or we would not get any other learning done because it would be all socializing. There's co-ops.
00:08:36
Speaker
There's community service, there's clubs, there's their siblings, there's family gatherings, after-school activities, neighborhood kids when they get home from school, theater, public speaking groups, junior leader groups. Generally, once a kid gets their driver's license, they choose their amount of socialization that they want because they can. They go whatever, working, jobs, whatever. So share the actual opportunities that your kids do spend socializing.
00:09:04
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. The basic idea here is to just let people know that we approach socialization like we approach any other topic. We might kind of laugh about it because it's such a common question, but we do take that into consideration. Make sure that our kids get the opportunity they need to learn social skills. Social skills are a skill just like any other that kids and adults need to function in the world.
00:09:25
Speaker
So a couple of examples that I'll throw in are going to church or church activities. We have a lot of that. We're very active in our faith community. My kids go to an activity at least two to four times a month outside of our regular worship services on Sundays, and then they have neighborhood friends. We go shopping together. They have service opportunities. We go to the park and the library all the time, and they're striking up conversations with other kids there. So basically, as I was writing all these down, I realized, oh, they have all the opportunities for socialization that we adults do, right? How often do you talk to a mom who
00:09:53
Speaker
is staying home with the baby and ask her, but what about your socialization? Do you have an, actually sometimes I do because that can be a concern if you're just done home with a baby, but we know how to be social. We just invite a friend over or we go to the library and go to the playtime and meet a mom friend. And we just facilitate the same sorts of things for our children. Yes, exactly. I found a really, really neat quote from a homeschool mom and I just wrote it down verbatim so I could share it here.
00:10:21
Speaker
So her response is, if you are referring to training our kids to be able to mix socially with people from all walks of life, teaching them our values and beliefs and equipping them to navigate this life successfully, then socialization is the very reason why we homeschool. I just thought that was a great answer. I have given the answer to sometimes that like, especially when I give the answer number one,
00:10:44
Speaker
and say, are you happy with the socialization you're getting from your kid in public school? And they come back with all those negative horror stories. And you just say, well, socialization is part of the reason why we are homeschooling, because we want to be intentional about that.
00:10:58
Speaker
Okay. So I really love that quote. And I will say that this is actually an aspect of homeschooling that was not my initial reason for homeschooling, but it has become one of my main reasons. I kind of was a little bit sad at the beginning that they would miss out on some of the public school experiences that I had, but later on realized just what benefits I could give them by keeping them home specifically in the social aspect of their education. So pretty cool.
Addressing Unsocialized Behavior Concerns
00:11:22
Speaker
All right. So answer number four, another potential.
00:11:26
Speaker
answer to this question is to ask the asker how they have seen your children act in unsocialized ways. So that might open up the conversation a little bit to have them explain like, have you seen my kids do things that you think may be as socially awkward and be willing to learn a little bit. Usually for somebody you know a little bit better, not like the grocery store clerk, right? Right. Right. Exactly. Yeah.
00:11:45
Speaker
And, you know, sometimes people are asking because they just want to hear their concerns expressed out loud and they're not really looking for an answer. They just want to put it out there. Like I've often, you know, when I ask that when I'm asked that question and I say, well, have you seen my kids?
00:12:01
Speaker
behave in ways that are unsocialized, they say, oh, no, no, no, but my kids might be. If I decided to homeschool, it's just their concern that they want to hear aloud. If I was to homeschool, I don't know that my kids would be as well socialized as yours is what I hear in return. I don't know. Sometimes just throwing it out there, just listening to them.
00:12:22
Speaker
And this is also a good one for somebody who's being a little bit, well, let's be honest, sometimes people are a little bit mean when they ask this question. So you just throw it back in their court. Okay, so tell me, what ways have you seen my kid or other kids that are unsocialized? Ultimately, it's your decision, not theirs, to choose what kind of socialization that they get.
00:12:44
Speaker
Right. I will also say this homeschooling is about a billion times more common now than it was when I was growing up, at least in the area that I lived. We didn't know many homeschoolers at all. And I think that at least for my generation, the experience we got with homeschoolers tended to be with families who might have been a little bit quirky or lived a life off the beaten path. Right.
00:13:03
Speaker
Um, and so if their kids ended up kind of quirky or unusual, we're like, Oh, look, they're unsocialized. They're weird. They're homeschoolers, right? And like lumped it all into one, into one big package. But the fact of the matter is a family gets so much from each other. Like, you know, some of my social quirks are going to rub off on my kids and it, it has a little bit to do with what they're exposed to. Um, but a lot to do with who they are too. So. Yeah. Yep.
00:13:33
Speaker
Yeah, you know, I have been homeschooling for so many years now that at the beginning I actually got that kind of the resistance, you know, the what about socialization resistance. And I would get, you know, sometimes I'd even avoid say the grocery store or the library during hours that other kids were in school because I just didn't want to deal with the questions.
00:13:53
Speaker
But now, it's definitely, if I get a response about homeschooling, it's not, oh, you homeschool, but it's, I can tell you homeschool, because they're seeing the positive benefits. And other families have done that work for me. They're like, oh, I can tell, your kids are homeschooled. They have seen the positive benefits in other families as well. That's so great, yeah.
00:14:18
Speaker
All right, answer number five possibility. Sometimes humor is an appropriate response, like depends on the person, you know, the, the brother-in-law who's just trying to be a stinker about it or whatever.
00:14:27
Speaker
There are some really funny memes, t-shirts, Instagram accounts that are just dedicated to homeschoolers making fun of being considered unsocialized. And you can have a ball with it. I mean, really, my husband is really the best at this, that the humor response, you know, going limp and acting retarded or something, you know, like.
00:14:51
Speaker
Yeah, like you said, Audrey, you gauge the situation and determine whether somebody's actually looking for an answer or if they're just trying to be a bum. That's not the word I want to say. Instigator. Yeah, instigator. Yeah.
00:15:05
Speaker
Yeah, sometimes the person is just trying to cause trouble, and if that's the case, totally use humor to your advantage. Sometimes I like to say that instead of sending my kids to school, I just decided to birth the entire classroom, and so we have our own classroom at home that makes people giggle. And then sometimes I'll say, look, if you can learn how to be socially appropriate with your siblings, then you can get along with anyone. So really, my kids have an advantage in that they will be able to get along with family members, and strangers will be a piece of cake when they move out.
00:15:33
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. You know, it's almost to the point now where if my kid makes a socially awkward comment or, you know, faux pas or something silly in public, I'll be like, oh, they're homeschooled. Yeah. They're homeschooled. Totally. People get her. The people titter and they like jump to their defense. No, no, no, no. You know, because it's their people. Yeah. People are seeing now that we're kind of beyond.
00:15:56
Speaker
That's my favorite comment when my kid makes a simple addition mistake or something out in public. I'm like, don't mind him. Homeschool math. Tease him about it.
00:16:09
Speaker
Potential answer number six, you can explain to the person that there are specific things that we teach our children in order for them to be good in social situations.
Teaching Social Skills in Homeschool
00:16:16
Speaker
And I think this is something that is not directly taught to most kids, but I feel like this is part of my obligation. And very often, because I see my kids in so many more social situations than a mom who might send her kids off to public school, I'm given opportunities to teach them things like self-awareness, how to engage in a conversation, how to politely interrupt,
00:16:36
Speaker
how to gauge whether someone is paying attention to what you're saying, how to be an independent thinker, come up with ideas for games with the friends, how to be a problem solver, resolve conflicts, how to have a positive self image. We could go on and on and on about all the aspects that are involved in being a very well socialized person. But a lot of these things are just kind of left to their own devices and kids pick up what they will. But when we teach it purposely, they turn out so much better.
00:17:05
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. So just interacting with others doesn't make us better or we're socialized because we take who we are into every situation. So we work with our kids on who they are so that in any situation they go into, they can socialize well, they can, you know, make an
00:17:25
Speaker
make an assessment of that situation? Is this person open to some humor or does this person need a more serious conversation? Are you just all those things that you were talking about so that they can gauge situations and be a person that other people really like to interact with?
00:17:42
Speaker
Right, right. And on this note, I also believe that it's my responsibility to protect my children from certain social situations. So I'm actually very aware of who my young children spend time with. And I am not a fan, just like my kids' media usage, I don't just throw them in any situation and hope that they figure it out, right? I'm very aware of who I let into my child's life until they have the skills to know, oh, actually, that kid is engaging in behaviors I don't want any part of, and they can back away from that
00:18:12
Speaker
that relationship or situation or stand up for themselves if that makes sense. There's just so much negative peer pressure out there that if my kid is going to go out there unsupervised, he's going to have the tools necessary and it's not going to be when he's five.
00:18:26
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. You know, going back to something we were talking about earlier and a slightly different part of this answer is that there's things that I want to be in control of when my children receive the knowledge. So, you know, just because something is taught, say, you know, sex education in kindergarten doesn't mean
00:18:46
Speaker
that I have to have my child socialized to that idea that young. If I'm choosing to homeschool them intentionally, then I get to choose when and how they receive that information. Instead of, you know, they learn the birds and the bees from a kid on the back of the bus and probably in not a very scientific educational way.
00:19:05
Speaker
So yeah, I love this part by being choosy about who your kid socializes with until they are trained in the way that we want them to be trained. All right, next answer, we're up to number seven, if you're keeping track. If it is appropriate for the situation, offer them an opportunity to socialize with your child and make the decision for themselves.
00:19:32
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I love that. This would be like a close family member, not like a random stranger at the library or something. Here, let me bring my kid over. You have a conversation with him. Let me know what you think. Yeah.
00:19:43
Speaker
Yeah, like you said, Audrey, I think that most people are generally very impressed with how my kids show up and how they interact with other people. I think I've shared this story before, but when we were first barely homeschooling, I went to a homeschool conference and there was a panel of homeschooled teenagers there and we could ask them questions because that conference was designed for newbie homeschoolers.
00:20:04
Speaker
And I just sat in that room and watched these 14 to 17 year olds field questions from adults in the audience with such grace and sophistication and appropriate humor. And I was blown away. I was like, these are not the high schoolers that I went to school with. Where did these children come from? And how do I get my kid to turn out like that?
00:20:26
Speaker
And I have to think that homeschooling had to be a huge aspect of that because they were raised side by side with their parent learning from an adult in a very close manner and being able to see the kind of social cues that the adults give off and not the other 17-year-olds. So it's pretty powerful. Oh, you know, I really, really am passionate about this, about how
00:20:51
Speaker
how well my kids socialize and homeschool kids socialize. We're going to link an article, um, in the show notes that we're going to mention a little bit later with the next question. But, um, this is from, um, uh, educator who is Dr. Weill, Dr. J Weill. And he, um, has written homeschool curriculum, but he talks in there a little bit about how, um,
00:21:15
Speaker
in his experience at the college level, the homeschool students were way better socialized and got a better education because of the way that they would interact with the professor and then public school students and just draw the professor out. If they didn't understand something, they would start asking questions and start wanting to know more and get down to it. But my kids, that was their own, I've had
00:21:42
Speaker
two through college and one in college now. And that is their experience as well. They're like, I'm the only person in class that like ask questions or interacts with, they're like, you know, all the other kids are like on their phone or, you know, not paying attention or they're like, either they're not paying for their own education or they just don't know how to get the information they need to get what they need from the class. And so that, yeah, yeah, that's been, and that has been our experience.
00:22:10
Speaker
Experience too when we wouldn't the last time I went to a homeschool convention It's been I don't know for five years. I was just in amazed at the number of colleges that had just in the general exhibit hall that had tables set up and were actively recruiting We want those kids. Yeah. Yeah, and I I said what's what's going on? I was here like, you know five years or ten years ago before this and he
00:22:38
Speaker
I, you know, just like stopped and talked to one of the colleges and he was like, no, no, no. Homeschool students are, you know, and he just started counting off all the ways why they wanted to recruit homeschool students. And I was like, okay, all right. That's great. The proof is in the pudding, I guess. That's so great.
Horizontal vs. Vertical Socialization
00:22:54
Speaker
Okay, so answer number eight is just this quote. We want you guys to just have this quote for you. It's by Thomas Smedley. It says, in the public school system, children are socialized horizontally and temporarily into conformity with their immediate peers. Home educators seek to socialize their children vertically toward responsibility, service and adulthood with an eye on eternity.
00:23:16
Speaker
mic drop there you go you think about it that makes so much sense the difference between temporary horizontal and then
00:23:26
Speaker
vertical and forward, future forward. This is the best answer for a person when they're really, really concerned, like, you know, your mother, your mother-in-law, close friend, maybe somebody who's considering homeschooling themselves, not just like a casual friend or a grocery store, you know, stranger or something, but when they really want to know, then you can dig in deep and explain the different kinds of socialization that happen. Right. Right.
00:23:52
Speaker
I also like to ask loved ones who are concerned about this, what specific situations they're concerned about. And then I can tell them, well, actually we kind of simulate it like this, or I expose them to situations like this. That's very similar to that, right? Um, and then on top of this, I will also say that this is not an answer we included, but it is okay to say, that's not really any of your business because it's my decision. Obviously that's a little bit more contentious and might not give you the results you want. But sometimes we just have to say, this is the decision I've made for my family.
00:24:22
Speaker
And I'm sorry you don't love it and that you have your own concerns, but I'm happy to have a good conversation with you about any of these aspects of it, but in the end, it's my decision. Yeah, yes. All right, to answer number nine, research this article, if you want to dig into it deeper. Research shows that homeschoolers are actually better socialized than public school children.
Research & Socialization Outcomes
00:24:44
Speaker
In every area except negative behaviors. What does that mean?
00:24:50
Speaker
I don't know how you get socialized in negative behaviors. Peer pressure, I guess. I'll pass on that one. Thanks. Often, someone will give me an example of a poorly socialized homeschooler they know. Well, I knew this family. And this totally happened to me back when we first started. I had a family member say, well, I knew XYZ. And they were so awkward and couldn't have a conversation with anybody. And then I wish I had the foresight to ask them what I would ask them now. And that is, oh, do you know any awkward public schoolers?
00:25:20
Speaker
Do you know any socially awkward kids who went to school with you? Of course you do, because they're everywhere. There are kids who struggle with social situations everywhere. But people just like to remind us of the homeschoolers they know. Yeah. Yeah. And you know, I like to say that because every family was forced homeschoolers in 2020 during the pandemic.
00:25:43
Speaker
I haven't been asked this question in the past two years, really, because they were doing it themselves. And so they knew and they saw. And that was even during a global pandemic when we weren't even allowed to go socialize.
00:26:00
Speaker
Everybody's kids were out playing with everybody else's kids in the neighborhood. Okay, final answer, number 10.
Innate Personalities & Socialization
00:26:07
Speaker
I think more important than even opportunities to socialize are considering your child's own intellectual and social aspects of their personality. So I'll just give you the examples of my first two children. They're both boys. Both were raised almost identically, same parents, same situation, same schooling, and socially they are night and day because their personalities are night and day.
00:26:30
Speaker
One would rather be inside reading a book or doing something on his computer all day and all night than ever going out into the world. That's just who he is. And the other one goes crazy if he can't see a friend for half a day. So just remember that nurture can only go so far. These kids come with their own personalities. Some are very extroverted and some are not. And that might be considered socially awkward if they're more of an introvert. That's just the way some personalities are.
00:26:56
Speaker
Yeah, that's right. Short of locking your child in a closet for years. There's not much you can do to stop a naturally social extroverted child from developing those skills. They're just going to seek out personality because that is what recharges them. They're going to seek out those social situations. And socially awkward kids are introverted kids. They will need help and guidance in or out of public school. It's not like we said earlier, it's not being with others that makes you socialize.
00:27:26
Speaker
So much more. I have one child I'm thinking of who is the biggest social butterfly and right now she's in dance and so that's her close group of friends is all the girls on her team but even before that she would have a list of friends a mile long and I'm thinking where are you getting all these friends from? Well this girl I met at the park at that one day remember and then I went to her birthday party for three years and then
00:27:46
Speaker
She is just so good at making friends and keeping in touch with them. And I didn't have to do anything. We just went about our daily lives and she just picked up friends like a charms on a bracelet. That's just how she is. And other kids really need a lot more encouragement. So totally, totally true.
00:28:01
Speaker
Yes, I have a one child that's exactly like that as well. She'd come home and refer to him as my best friend. You were like at the park for 10 minutes. Oh no, we're like best friends. Just as a final thought, I hope this episode hasn't sounded like we're attacking anyone in public school or trying to shame anyone. It's just that very often this question is asked,
00:28:25
Speaker
in not the friendliest tone and it can be very scary for a new homeschooler or even for someone who's homeschooled for a while and is constantly worried about being asked this question. The fact of the matter is the intentional choice is the best choice. It's the one that you have researched that you have looked into and that you felt the best about for
Reassuring Homeschool Parents
00:28:41
Speaker
your child.
00:28:41
Speaker
And if you are a homeschooler and you have significant concerns about socialization, hopefully this episode has been helpful. And you've also gleaned some ideas of how maybe you can give your child more opportunities so that you can feel a little bit better about that. But chances are good they're going to be just fine. Yeah. I was with my kids, a couple of my kids the other day, and we stopped by a park because we had some extra time before the next appointment.
00:29:05
Speaker
And I watched my kids socialize with the family that was there, the other kids that were there. And I thought, I had this thought kind of like this little guilt crisis. You know what? My kids are so good at this and they're so sweet and so friendly and so kind, so good at sharing and taking turns. I really am kind of depriving other kids of the
00:29:28
Speaker
the privilege of interacting with them more often I was like okay we have to like plan more outings so that just like but I was I don't know maybe it's a you know parent pride thing I was really proud of how they were interacting and sharing and being kind and it all started you know at home learning to interact and be kind and and then and then all the character building things that we do and everything you know it it spreads out from there but I just wanted to say that
00:29:55
Speaker
A child will be a good socializer or not, no matter what their environment is. And by us choosing to homeschool, we've chosen to have an intentional effect on how and why and the ways that they're socialized. Okay. That's all we've got for you this week. Have a great week, friends. I'm Bonnie. I'm Audrey, and we're outnumbered.
00:30:21
Speaker
Thanks for listening friends. Click the link in the show notes to subscribe to our email and never miss another episode. Show us some love by leaving a review on iTunes or sharing the podcast with a friend. Thanks for all your support.
00:30:46
Speaker
The house better be on fire, child. Okay. Her response to this question. Your turn. Your turn. That's fine. You can hear mine too. Continue. That's my three year old having a temper tantrum. Okay, hang on. Hang on, Bonnie. I accidentally muted you. I was trying to mute myself and I accidentally muted you. I don't know how to unmute you.
00:31:14
Speaker
There we go. There. Okay. I'm sorry. Start again. I thought I was hitting mine and then I looked towards the door and I couldn't hear you anymore. Sorry. I didn't even know I could do that. Oh yeah. Look at you host using your host powers. Just watch out. Start again. Pause for the school bus. Why is that school bus so loud? They're just trying to interrupt our pro homeschooling podcast. Yeah. Typical.